Charter schools are a growing presence in Georgia and the rest of the country, particularly schools managed by private companies that enter into contracts with the districts or the state.
As charter schools have grown so have the questions about the blur between public schools and private interests. Those questions led the NAACP membership last month to pass a moratorium on charter schools managed by private companies. It was the second African-American organization to raise concerns about what they see as the privatization of schools. Earlier this year, the Movement for Black Lives endorses a similar resolution.
But a new nonprofit group in Atlanta says the black community needs to be open to charter schools and all the school choice options. Writing today in the AJC Get Schooled blog, David Mitchell, the founder of Better Outcome for Our Kids or BOOK, says, "While I support what the NAACP stands for and what it has meant to the African-American experience, maybe the resolution should focus on helping families and communities become more involved in our public schools rather than eliminating options…what is the NAACP saying to these families seeking better outcomes for their kids?"
To read more, go to Get Schooled.
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